title: Function of rhodopsin in temperature discrimination in Drosophila.
abstract: Many animals, including the fruit fly, are sensitive to small differences in ambient temperature. The ability of Drosophila larvae to choose their ideal temperature (18°C) over other comfortable temperatures (19° to 24°C) depends on a thermosensory signaling pathway that includes a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein), a phospholipase C, and the transient receptor potential TRPA1 channel. We report that mutation of the gene (ninaE) encoding a classical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), Drosophila rhodopsin, eliminates thermotactic discrimination in the comfortable temperature range. This role for rhodopsin in thermotaxis toward 18°C was light-independent. Introduction of mouse melanopsin restored normal thermotactic behavior in ninaE mutant larvae. We propose that rhodopsins represent a class of evolutionarily conserved GPCRs that are required for initiating thermosensory signaling cascades.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for Sensory Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Wei L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Abidemi A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Adegbola
authors.forename: Junjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chess
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007473:Ion Channels; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D051379:Mice; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D013697:Thermosensing; D000099210:Melanopsin
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D012243:Rhodopsin; D017299:Rod Opsins; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels; D000099210:Melanopsin; C475684:TrpA1 protein, Drosophila; C083315:ninaE protein, Drosophila